Detachable bit screw driver construction



G. L. ROCK DETACHABLE BIT SCREW DRIVER CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 1.2, 1947 IN VEN TOR.

Patented Oct. 4, 1949 umfren STATES rrr-RENT :or Fics 483,563 l i DETACH'BLE IT SICE-EW` K `C0NSTRUCTI50N George `L. Rock, Janesville, v.llllicl'fl., v#as-signor t0 lVaca Products Company, "Chicago, lll., a corporation of Illinois Appiiaonnnwemher 12, 1947, semi Maarssen s claims. (o1. 21a-4104 This inventief; relates ma .detachement tool, and rnore particularly to the construction-.of .a jscrew driver -bi-t and socket for detachablyreceivingsarne. Y

It is `an object-of theinvention to provide a. 'more simple :and inexpensive and yet more -eflraient, `constructionof Vscrew driver bit and socket for `detach-ably receiving same. l j

A `morezspec-ic object of the invention .is to vprovide a simpler and yet more elcient `socket vwhich can .be easily -pressod into .a tool handle for .assembly therewith :and for thereafter 1degtachably receiving and efficiently .holding a tool Jolt. Y

Another important -obiectxof :the invention is A-to provide an automatic chuck or socket wholly contained Within Cthe tool handle l:and -so 1constructed that the -bi-t may beattached to, :and-.detached from, the handle -i-n-driving relationfthere- .to by the simple axial insertion and removal of Fig. lshows :a -screw-'driverembodying -t-he pres-, f

ent invention;

Fig. `2 -a view :in :longitudinal section taken through the handle of the screw drivero'fflig. :11;

Fig. 3 -is an -exploded'perspective View of vthe socket and -bit of Figs. lz-andfZ.;

, Fig. 4 is .an enlarged -fragmentary view in lon'- `:gitudinal section to better illustrate the con- .struction of `,the :socket andbitof Figs. .l and 3;

'-Fig. 51's a 'viewfinicross section -taken `alongrthe -li-ne 5-5 of Fig. 4;

.-F-ig. 6 is aview, partly infsection, oran exten- .sion for .the-screw sdrivi-:raof :Eigs 1:1 to r6;.;"and

Fig. 7 is an lend view:oftheiextensionsocketof Fig. 6.

.es `shown in :the drawinzgs, :a zscrewdriver r`:embodying the present invention may lccmiprise a handle -2 of any suitable aconstruction, ra driver bit 4,:and .a :bit-treceivingsocket mounted inthe handle'. The screw driver :hitslfisfnrniiedat Vone end -wi-.th the .usual -Jolade vl! zamlitseotlrer end with a @atten-ed, reduced .shan-k portion form-ing position locating shoulders l2 iat A:the .junction of .the nat-tened shank portion Withthe rounded `shank portion :of the bit. Flattened shankrfportion -|i is provided with transverse, .prelfenably .semi-circular -g-rooves M in each of the opposite if aces.

The lait-receiving socket 5 ,comprises a `pin, rod

'ljicylinder L6 having avplurarlity v'of axially idimected :splines flff'or :securing Athe socket to, and entire-ly within, jthe Vhandle'against v`rotation 'relatiyethereto when vthe .socket is pressed Ior :driven'into the central opening -2IJ .of the handle. fllh'eqrn formed v:at its outer-end With anfannular flange `2.2 toiengage the v`inner lend of the handle :and .thereby .lil-nit the movement of the socket into `t-he .opening 2i) of ythe handle. The lcylinder .1571s formed vat `its inner end with -a .cross slot24 which is in communication with a semi-circular vvopening y2S, `the diameter of which fis greater than .the width Vof `the cross slot E24 lto :torni `diametrically opposite shoulders 'v2- to engage .the :shoulders :lf2 .of the .screw driver bit and thereby limit #the movement .of the bit through thesocket Al resilient, wire :spring lil!! has oneen-d received in a suitableV longitudinal :opening in Athe inner end-of Fthe-cylinder i6 and is afxedto -thecylinder |46, :in any convenient manner, against 1on- @itudinal dis-placement -or disengagement. The spring wire 30 is looped back'uponV itself .to provide `a :free end portion to provide a bit 1latching vportion 32 atits -free fend. r-Dhe bodyof thespring .Jill therefore'provide's a yresilient `-rnount for .the -latchi-ng portion 3K2, which latter is preferably pressed inwardly .in-to -a convex circular form complementary lto `[the part circular, concave notches I4 adjacent the V,end of the Yscrew driver bit4. Theireefendyor flatching portion 32 zof the -spring loop is `normally so positioned by the resilience :of the :spring as `to project over the cross .slot-214.

The screw dri-ver fbit is inserted in the vsocket and rotated while applying a pressure thereto axiall-y of the :bit and handle so that when the flattened portionV lll is ,aligned with 'the' cross slot -24 'continued :axial pressure upon the bit will feause 'to pass through the .socket until `the latchfportionif the spring :loop snaps'into .one

of the part circular recesses or notches I4 adjacent the inner end of the bit.

The diametrically opposite notches I4 permit latching of the bit in the socket whenever the flattened portion IIl can be passed through the cross slot 24 of the socket. If only one notch was provided, it'would be possible to introduce that part of the bit into the cross slot Without latching the bit to the socket.

The concave wall of the notches provide camming surfaces which cause outward movement of the complementary shaped latching portion 32 When the pressure is applied axially of the bit in a direction to withdraw it from the socket.

It should be noted that the inner end 34 of the screw driver bit 4 is rounded or tapered to form a cam-like surface cooperating with the camlike, convex surface of the latch portion 32 of the wire spring, the cam-like surface portion of the end of the bit forcing that latch portion outwardly as the bit is inserted into the socket.

As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the screw driver may be provided with a detachable extension carrying a socket for detachably receiving the screw driver bit so that the bit may be inserted directly into the handle socket when a short bladed screw driver suices and may be inserted in the extension socket and the extension inserted in the handle socket when a long screw driver is necessary.

The extension may comprise a rod 36 having at V the resilient latching or clutching fingers 5D and 52, a sleeve 54 press-fitted on the end of the rod 3B and iixed thereto as by a swaging or pressing operation which embeds annularly grooved portion 56 into the shank of the rod 3B inwardly of the ngers 50 and52. The sleeve 54 is provided internally with opposed projections 58 which form between them a rectangular opening for receiving the flattened end portion I0 of a screw driver bit and thereby secure the bit and socket 34 against relative rotation. The spring ngers 50 and 52 are formed at their free ends with inwardly directed concave camming and latching portions Si! corresponding to the latching portion 32 of the spring latch 30.

It will be evident that on insertion of the rod 36 into the socket 6, the extension will be secured to the handle for rotation therewith and detachably locked to the handle and furthermore that on insertion of the flattened end I0 of the bit 4 into the sleeve 54, the rounded end portion of the bit will force the latching and camming portions B0 outwardly to spread the latching fingers 50 and 52 to permit the latching projections 60 to move over the flattened end portion I0 of the driver bit and snap into the part circular groove I4 of the bit so as to latch the bit to the socket sleeve 54 and the rod 36.

It should be noted that the forward edges of the projections 58 of the sleeve 54 form shoulders 32 adapted to engage the shoulders I2 of the driver bit thereby to limit the inward movement of the driver bit and to prevent the circular grooves I4 from being moved past the latching projections 60 It will be obvious that changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages, and the right is hereby reserved to make all such changes as fairly fall within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a detachable bit tool, a handle, a socket fixed to said handle, means integral with said socket to prevent rotation of said socket with respect to said handle, said socket having a longitudinal opening therein to receive the shank of the bit and shaped to cause rotation of the bit on rotation of the socket, and spring urged latch means normally urged into the path of the bit when inserted into the socket to engage the shank of the bit, said bit having shoulder means over which the spring urged latch means snaps on insertion of the bit shank detachably to secure the bit to the handle socket, said shoulder means being shaped to cam the latch means outwardly of the socket on exertion of a longitudinal pull on the bit to detach the bit from the handle socket.

2. In a detachable bit tool, a handle having an opening at one end, a bit receiving socket mounted substantially entirely within the opening in said handle and fixed to said handle, means integral with said socket to prevent rotation of said socket with respect to said handle, said socket having a longitudinal opening therethrough to receive the shank of the bit and shaped to cause rotation of the bit on rotation of the handle and socket and a looped spring secured to said socket, extending inwardly of said handle from said socket and having a resilient, free end portion for detachably latching the bit to the socket.

3. In a detachable bit tool, a handle having an opening extending longitudinally inwardly from one end thereof, a socket mounted in said opening and fixed to said handle, means integral with said socket to prevent rotation of said socket with respect to said handle, said socket having a longitudinal opening therein to receive the shank of the bit and shaped to cause rotation of the bit on rotation of the handle and socket, the opening in the handle being of greater length than the socket and a loopedspring wire in the portion of said handle opening extending beyond said socket, said wire being secured at one end to the socket and having at its other free end a camming and latching portion adapted to engage a correspondingly shaped portion adjacent the inner end of the bit resiliently to latch the bit to the socket.

4. In a detachable bit screw driver, a handle, a bit receiving socket secured to said handle, a screw driver bit, an extension bit comprising a rod having at one end a portion adapted to be inserted in said socket for detachable securement to said socket and having at its other end a resilient latching means for detachably securing said screw driver bit against longitudinal separation from the rod and a socket sleeve fixed to said last mentioned end of the rod Aand surrounding said latching means, said sleeve having a longitudinal opening therein to receive the shank of the screw driver bit and shaped to cause rotation of the bit on rotation of the handle, the handle socket and said extension bit.

5. An extension for a detachable bit screw driver comprising a rod having at one end a portion adapted to be inserted in a bit receiving socket for detachable securement to said socket, a resilient latching means at the other end of said rod for detachably securing a screw driver bit to the rod, and a socket sleeve xed to said 5 last mentioned end of the rod and surrounding said latohing means, said sleeve having a longitudinal opening therein to receive the shank of a screw driver bit and shaped to cause rotation of said bit upon rotation of said extension.

GEORGE L. ROCK.

6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

